


2048

by traumschwinge



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: 2048, Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, F/M, M/M, Matchmaking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-01
Updated: 2014-04-01
Packaged: 2018-01-17 19:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1400512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traumschwinge/pseuds/traumschwinge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thanks to Raven's devious plan of frustrating the hell out of Erik via a stupid puzzle game, Erik and Charles end up on a date. This could have been so much easier for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	2048

**Author's Note:**

> Don't play this game, it's addicting. You have been warned. There are two versions of it linked in this fic. The Fassbender one was the initial inspiration. Tell me when the links stop working.

Erik growled at his computer screen, before he clicked once and then returned to stab the arrow keys with his index finger. Azazel raised an eyebrow at him. Erik knew exactly that his co-worker and almost friend was trying very hard not to laugh at him.

“Fuck off,” Erik growled.

Now, Azazel was grinning. He even looked outright gleeful. “Still playing?” He dropped in the chair on the other side of Erik’s desk. “Lunch break’s over, Lehnsherr.”

“I’ll stop when I lost [this fucking game](http://games.usvsth3m.com/2048/mcavoy-strip-edition-2/) as well,” Erik hissed.

Azazel tsk’ed. “We both know you’re lying.”

“Well.” Erik shot a glare at Azazel. “If you’d just showed me that picture I could go back to being a productive employee.”

“Interns have been complaining that you’re even more irritable than usual,” Azazel grinned. “I like that.” He leaned back in his chair. “And besides, Raven told me to make you work for it. If you don’t want, you could just ask him to show you the real thing, you know?”

Erik stared at his screen where he could see a handful of pictures of Charles Xavier from the research department in varying amounts of clothing. He knew all those pictures, Azazel had simply taken them off Xavier’s facebook and some of them were already quite naked. Stark’s parties were nothing to underestimate, especially if you enjoyed drinking. What Xavier apparently did. Not that Erik knew. He had seen him, once or twice, when he hadn’t been able to get out of the company parties. But they’d never talked before. Erik had wanted to. But in the end, he had mostly spent the parties staring moodily over his drink at Xavier. It was starting to get embarrassing.

Which Azazel had told him flat in the face. And then, he had him sent him this game devised by the devil himself with the words, “Raven supplied the last pic. ‘s Xavier naked.”

Erik had grumbled and told Azazel to fuck off. Needless to say, he had started to play the game anyway.

If only he could figure out how to merge enough of the pictures to get to the last one. He had played for two days now and hadn’t managed it. He got distracted way too easily with the pictures. He had tried different versions he’d found online and he was much better if he wasn’t looking at Charles and his lush red lips and sparkling blue eyes.

Maybe just asking Xavier out would be the easier option.

And yet, Erik was too stubborn to forfeit just yet. There had to be a way to win this game or at least to get to that last picture. Not that he really needed to see it, he told himself. He simply wanted to. For… okay, so Azazel might be right. He did have a little crush on Xavier. But only a little. Dating wasn’t an option. Not as long Azazel was seeing Xavier’s sister.

It took a week until Erik finally caved.

“There’s no naked picture of him in this, right?” he growled at Azazel during their lunch break. Azazel had practically forced him to leave his office and get something to eat, damn it. Erik started to suspect he had gotten himself addicted. To a stupid computer logic game of all things.

Azazel grinned at him. “I don’t know, how many pictures have you seen?”

Erik contemplated simply stabbing Azazel to death with his fork. “All of them, I think,” Erik hissed. “Up to the shirtless picture of him from the party last month. The devil alone knows where you’d got that.” That Erik would like to have the original file of that particular shot went unsaid but he had the suspicion that Azazel knew it anyway.

Azazel nodded. “High score?”

“About 8000,” Erik grumbled. He hated to admit that.

Azazel hummed. “Wait a sec.” He started to type on his cell, before putting it back on the table. Erik used the short break to eat a bite or two. He was hungry. The game had been lethal to his already rather inconsistent eating habits.

Azazel’ cell vibrated after a minute or so. He looked down at the screen and grinned. “Boss says you’re clear to go,” he announced, grinning.

“What?”

The grin grew wider. “Friday, 8 pm sharp, the fancy Indian place down the street. Dress nice. Behave.”

“What for?” Erik hissed. He didn’t like the grin. Would stabbing Azazel only a little bit be acceptable?

“You’re going on a blind date with Xavier,” Azazel announced. “Don’t worry. He’ll come. Raven will make him. So you just have to make him fall for you. For a man with your charms, this shouldn’t be too hard.”

Erik would never admit this later, but he was gaping at Azazel when he started to realize what he’d just been told.

–

Erik had definitely not spent the rest of the week playing the Charles Xavier strip version of 2048 anyway because he had nothing better to do. He was getting better at the game, he knew he was. Still, the most he got was shirtless Charles. He wished he could stop. This game was ruining his life.

Thinking about Xavier shirtless also wasn’t what he should be doing while waiting for him at the restaurant. If he wanted for this date to go well, Azazel had told him countless times, he should be on his best behavior. “God knows you need to get laid, jerk,” as Azazel had so very diplomatically put it. “So don’t you screw it. Rather screw him later.”

So Erik had arrived early, to be there before Xavier so he wouldn’t have to wait. He had even spent the afternoon actually working and not playing. It didn’t get the hellish game off his mind, thought. He passed the time until Xavier arrived by thumbing through the menu and trying to figure out what he wanted to order. He knew only half the dishes so it at least was a past time. It wasn’t enough though to forget pale freckled skin though. Azazel could be right. He needed to get laid again.

Xavier arrived five minutes late, late enough to make Erik start fretting but not so late he was angry at him already. He looked good, Erik thought as he watched Xavier follow the waiter to their table. More than good. He hadn’t spotted Erik yet, as he was still busy with his cell. He seemed… nervous? Annoyed? Like he was mad at someone who he long since given up at being mad because he was so used to it. Only when he reached the table, he shoved the cell into his pocket and looked at Erik.

“Hello,” Erik said, getting up to greet Xavier. He couldn’t help but smile—even though both Azazel and Raven had told him that he looked murderous whenever he did that.

Xavier…blushed when he looked at Erik. “Oh, hello,” he murmured, taking his seat.

“Is everything alright?” Erik asked. He was used to people being intimidated by his smile. But flustered was something new and entirely to adorable when it was Xavier.

“I…” Xavier started but then looked up at Erik and flushed again. “Er… quite alright, uhm…?”

“Erik,” he answered. “Erik Lehnsherr from Engineering. Didn’t Raven tell you? I work with her boyfriend.” He pronounced the word boyfriend in a way that made it clear how unhappy he was to work with Azazel. He was still mad at him for introducing him to this game from hell.

“Oh,” Xavier said. “She…she told me. Of course she did. I just…”

“Forgot?” Erik helped out. He wondered what was Xavier’s problem.

Xavier shook his head. Now, he was smiling, the blush fading as he got himself back under control. “I just had my mind elsewhere for a second,” he apologized. “What are you getting?” He plucked the menu from Erik’s hand.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Erik said. He didn’t try to get the menu back though. “Something with chicken, perhaps. Do you eat here often?”

Xavier only nodded, hidden behind the menu. “Every other week, usually,” he murmured. “How about we order some small dishes for the two of us and then share?” Blue eyes looked at Erik over the edge of the menu. For a moment, all he could do was stare back at them.

He cleared his throat. “It’s fine with me. Would you order? There’s nothing I don’t eat, so pick whatever you like.” Erik was curious what Xavier would pick. Speaking of… “Azazel forgot to tell me your first name.”

The blue eyes started to sparkle and Erik had the impression Xavier was hiding a smile behind the menu. “Charles,” he said. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” he added, a little softer.

“Finally?” Erik crooked an eyebrow.

Charles flustered again. “Oh, uhm… I… I might have noticed you at one party or another. You know, you’re quite…er…handsome.”

Erik’s eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “Charles, what’s wrong? You’re acting suspicious,” he said as calmly as he could, paying his twisting stomach no heed. “Don’t you want to…” He shook his head. He couldn’t say it. “Did Raven make you come?” he settled for instead. He knew Raven could be quite persuasive at times, when she wanted things to go her way.

Charles eyes went wide. “What? No, no, nonono, I came here because I wanted to and I still want to be here, on a date, with you.” For a moment, he looked like he was about to reach for Erik’s hand resting on the table. He put the menu away and smiled a crooked smile at Erik. “It’s just…”

“Just?” Erik’s stomach churned again. It was never good to hear sentences that started like that on a date.

“Well,” Charles shifted uneasily in his chair. “It’s just my sister showed me this one puzzle and I can’t stop thinking about it.” The words came out so fast Erik needed a moment to understand what he’d just heard. Immediately, only one game came to mind.

“Oh no,” he groaned.

Charles blushed more. “Er, I’m afraid yes.”

“Are we thinking of the same game?” Erik groaned. He thought of the version Azazel had made him play and felt his face warming up with embarrassment.

Charles’ eyes went wide at that. “You too?” he breathed, before he said, “No, that’s not… she gave me a different version. Oh, Erik, what…” He reached for his phone. “I have to call Raven.”

“What? Wait, what’s going on? Charles!” Erik snatched the phone out of Charles’ hand, good manners be damned. “Explain this to me too before you call this off.”

“Call this off?” Charles huffed. “I’d never wanted to call this off. I just wanted to call Raven to yell at her for meddling with…my… oh…” He blinked. “I’m sorry. Of course, this can wait.” He sighed.

Erik crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What kind of meddling?” he grumbled.

Charles rolled his eyes. “She thinks I need a boyfriend, just because she has one.”

“That’s no explanation,” Erik said flatly.

“Oh sod it,” Charles grumbled. “I have no idea how, but… she might have noticed the way I looked at you on the last party… And tried to bully me into doing something about it but… I didn’t even know you were interested! And then last week, she showed this game to me and told me I would have fun and…” He sighed.

“Around the same time Azazel showed me a game as well,” Erik mused. “Wait, back up, you noticed me at that party? When?”

“Right from the beginning.” The cheeky grin looked good on Charles. Erik liked it even better than the flustered look.

“Why didn’t you just come over?”

Charles shrugged. “Had I know you were interested as well or had Raven introduced us right there…”

“We could have been on a date weeks ago,” Erik sighed. The food Charles had ordered arrived, but they were both too busy to notice.

“Hm-m,” Charles hummed. “On the other hand… I liked the graphics of that game.” He intwined his finger’s with Erik’s.

“You did?” [Suddenly, there were images in his mind, photographs of himself, shuffling around on a four on four grid to merge two of the same type into a new one.](http://games.usvsth3m.com/2048/michael-fassbender-strip-edition/) Erik gasped. Immediately, Charles pulled his hand away.

“Sorry, I got carried away,” he said quickly. “I should have told you. Telepath. I hope that’s not a problem?”

Erik shook his head, still a little shocked at the sudden mental feed and maybe a little freaked out about Charles’ version of the game having almost naked pictures of him he couldn’t remember being taken. “’s all right,” he murmured, before he let Charles’ fork levitate over to the Daal and then back to Charles, hovering an inch before his mouth. Charles grinned. Erik grinned back. “I’m mutant myself.”

“So…Raven,” Charles sighed. He had picked the fork from the air and was nibbling at it.

Giving it a little thought, Raven did explain a lot. Especially the pictures he couldn’t remember and…”Wait, you beat that game?”

Charles looked up, blinking. “Uhm, yes. It took me a while, but, I did.” He grinned. “The last pic was worth it, though.”

Erik would have loved to know what had been on the picture, but there was a much more pressing matter at hand.

“How?”


End file.
